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Before I can create any piece of art I need to be inspired. As an artist, finding that inspiration can be one of the biggest challenges. Sometimes we can be overflowing with ideas, other times we can feel like we have nothing. We can have all the skills in the world, we can have all the right equipment, but without inspiration we will struggle to create something we are happy with.

How do I find inspiration? Well… believe it or not, inspiration is everywhere! Sometimes we can get so caught up in life we look straight past it. Sometimes we need to just slow down and take a good look at the beauty that surrounds us.

You could be outdoors, looking at the colours of the sky.. the flowers in the garden or the animals walking by. You could be indoors looking at beautiful patterns, posters, prints and clothing.

I recently became fascinated with the beautiful patterned images often found in colouring books, below is a picture I love on a shopping bag. I tried out a few different styles, and then started adding patterns to other designs.

One of the biggest places to find inspiration is right here on the world wide web. Facebook and pinterest are great places to collect ideas. I spend a lot of time looking at animals, pretty patterns and colours, artwork on other mediums, bunches of flowers. Think outside of the box to create something out of this world.

I love looking through face and body paintings by amazing artists… often its the little details that capture my attention, from placement and layouts of designs, to colours and styles. When I first started painting faces I would look at these designs and copy them to figure out how they were painted. I would then repaint adding my own style. Copying designs of other artists can be a great way to learn, but to grow as an artist you need to be adding your own little touches and style.

I still use many of these standard designs every day, although over the years they definitely evolved. My tigers (as example) are a mixture of many other styles, as well as inspired by the shapes on real tigers. I also have a little stripe in my tigers that came about when a child wriggled at just the right time.

The more I paint, more ideas just flow. The original design may not be perfect but there is always something to take from it and develop into something better.

Of course there are still times where the ideas seem to stop.. sometimes we just burn out and need to take a break. And even though we may not be painting, always keep your mind open, searching for new ideas, until you are ready to paint again.

“When it rains look for rainbows. When its dark look for stars”

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"I love painting, and what greater canvas there is than one that smiles back!"